Pyrolysis products of solid polymers of ethylene



Patented Mar. 20, 19:45

PYROLYSIS PRODUCTS OF SOLID POLYMERS F ETHYLENE Robert M. Joyce, In, Marshaliton, Del., assignor to E. I. du Pont de Nemours a Company, Wilmlngton, Del., a corporation oi Delaware No Drawing. Application February 28. 1942. Serial No. 432,504

7 Claims. (01. 260-86) This invention relatestochemical processes and fore to include the polymers obtained by polymore particularly to the production of unsatumerizing ethylene either alone or in admixture rated hydrocarbons. with other polymerizable organic compounds.

This invention has as an object a method for The conditions under which the crac, ing of the obtaining mixtures of unsaturated hydrocarbons above defined ethylene polymers is arried out of any desired chain length. A further object is depend uponthe nature of the. polymer being the manufacture of new and useful hydrocarbon pyrolized and upon the average chain length deproducts and mixtures thereof. Other objects sired in the resultant unsaturated hydrocarbon will appear hereinafter. mixture. For example, if it, is desired to pre- The above objects are accomplished by the 10 pare an unsaturated hydrocarbon mixture whose thermal cracking of the highmolecula'r weight average molecular weight lies in the neighborpolymers obtained by heating ethylene under hood of 300-400 from a polymer of ethylene alone, pressure alone or in admixture with at least one a sample of the polymer is placed in a, suitable other polymerizable organic compound. reactor, evacuated to a pressure of about 10 mm.

I have found that when above mentioned ethylof mercury, and raised to a temperature of about ene polymers are pyrolvzed at high temperatures, 450". Under such conditions, the cracking or the new unsaturated hydrocarbon mixtures are obethylene polymer occurs smoothly and continutained. These unsaturated hydrocarbon mixtures ously to an almost colorless unsaturated solid hyare normally solid and may have a degree of undrocarbon grease. No visible charring or tar saturation considerably greater than that which formation occurs. If a polymer of ethylene with would be expected on the basis of the structure another polymerizable organic compound is the of the tarting material. material being pyrolized, then somewhat'lower The polymers of ethylene alone used in the temperatures can be used, the exact temperature practice of this invention are those described in depending upon the particular material being U. S. Patents 2,153,553 and 2,188,465 and are obtreated. tained by heating ethylene underapressure above The degree of unsaturation of the resulting 500 atmospheres and preferably above 1000 atmixture of hydrocarbons is dependent on the mospheres, and at temperatures of from 100 C. nature of the starting material. For example, in

to 400 C., and preferably from 150 C. to 250 the cracking of the polymers obtained from ethyl- C. The polymers of ethylene alone as well as the 80 ene alone, double bonds are formed only by the polymers of ethylene with other polymerizable rupture of the carbon-carbon chain; an average organic compounds can be obtained by contacting 1 about n dou le bond appears in the product ethylene alone or in admixture with another polyfor each rupture. merizable organic compound with water and a Alkyl side chains, such as occur in polymers of peroxide compound catalyst, preferably a diacyl ethylene with propylene and isobutylene, repreperoxide, at temperatures in the range of to sent points of' potential rupture in the carbon 350 C. and at pressure in excess of atmospheric, chain. Hence, in the cra kin f ch P lymers. preferably at pressures in the range of to 1500 the molecular weight of the resulting Pr w l atmospheres, Th polymers of ethylene with be aifected not only by the cracking conditions, other polymerizable organic compounds can also 40 but to some extent by the relative frequen of be made by the process described in U. S. Patent occurrence and distribution of alkyl side chains 2,200,429. The polymers of ethylene alone are in the polymer molecule. solids at normal temperatures, corresponding in When a polymer which already contains double composition substantially to (CI-12h, and have .S h s an ethylene/butadiene P y r. is molecular weights in excess of 6000. The proper- 45 cracked, the unsaturation produced in the resultties of the polymers of ethylene with other polying product represents the sum of the double merizable organic compounds vary depending bonds already present in the polymer and those upon the nature of the polymerizable organic comdouble bonds formed by rupture of the chain. In pound and the composition of the polymer. the cracking of a polymer containing easily re- A particularly valuable embodiment of this inmovable side chains, such as acetoxy in ethylvention is the pyrolysis of polymers obtained by ene/vinyl acetate polymers and chlorine in ethylpolymerizing a mixture of ethylene and one or ene/vinyl chloride polymers, the unsaturation of more other polymerizable organic compounds by the resulting product is again represented by the the methods referred to above. The term ethylsum of the double bonds produced by the crackene polymers as used herein is intended there- It ing of the chain and the double bonds produced Molecular weightX Iodine No U= Percentage uneaturation For a given cracking temperature the average chain length of the pyrolysis products is a function of the pressure at which the cracking is carried out. Thus, the higher the cracking pressure the lower will be the average molecular weight of the products which distill from the reaction mixture.

Distillation of the products from the reaction mixture as they are formed is not essential, but it is often advantageous since this procedure facilitates control of the chain length or the resulting product, and at the same time gives products having a narrower distribution in molecular size. It is not essential that the cracking operation be carried to the point where the products can be distilled even under greatly diminished pressure.

For certain purposes it is often desirable to carry the cracking only a short way, that is, to carry out a relatively slight degradation of the polymer to form a slightly unsaturated hydrocarbon mixture of relatively high. molecular weight. Such a modified cracking can be carried out on polymers of ethylene alone or on the products obtained by polymerizing ethylene with other polymerizable or nic compounds such as vinyl chloride or vinyl acetate whereby considerable proportions, or nearly all, of the chlorine is removed as hydrogen chloride or the acetoxy side chains as acetic acid, respectively, without degrading the carbon chains to such an extent that a substantial proportion of distillable hydrocarbon products is formed.

As a further modification oi the present process, certain catalysts can be employed during the cracking operation to alter the degree of unsaturation of the resulting material. For example, when the cracking of the polymer obtained from ethylene alone is carried out in the presence of nickel-on-kieselguhr catalyst, the resulting hydrocarbon mixture is more unsaturated than in the case when the cracking is carried out in the absence of such a catalyst.

The examples which follow are illustrative of methods for carrying out the invention. In Examples I to IV the polymer is that obtained by polymerizing ethylene alone, and in Examples V to VII the polymer is that obtained by polymerizing a mixture of ethylene with another polymerizable unsaturated organic compound.

Example I Ethylene polymer having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.74 (0.5% solution in xylene at 85 C.) which corresponds to a molecular weight or about 14,750 is placed in a reactor equipped for distillation and the system is evacuated to a pressure oi 10 mm. of mercury. The still pot containing the polymer is then heated with a free flame and the reaction products are allowed to distill into a receiver as they are formed. No charring or tar formation occurs, and essentially all the charge can be cracked and distilled. The product is a soft wax or very light color having an average molecular weight (ebullioscopic in benzene) of 402. It has an iodine number of 53.06, corresponding to a percentage unsaturation of 84. The initial polymer is essentially saturated, having a negligible iodine number.

Example I! Fifty-eight parts by weight of an ethylene polymer having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.58 (0.5% solution in xylene at C.) which corresponds to a molecular weight of about 10,550 is heated in a reactor in a metal bath maintained at 420 C. and a slow current of carbon dioxide is passed through the pyrolyzate, which is under atmospheric pressure. The oil gases are conducted through a water-cooled reflux condenser, a dry ice-acetone trap, and are then collected over 50% sodium hydroxide solution. Gas evolution ceases after about 2 hours at this temperature; a total of only 110 parts by volume of alkali insoluble gas is collected. The dry ice-acetone trap contains only about 1 part by weight of a low boiling liquid which is unsaturated to bromine in carbon tetrachloride. The products of the pyrolysis are then distilled under diminished pressure and there is obtained a solid grease, similar to that obtained in Example I. This product, however, has a molecular weight (ebullioscopic in benzene) of only 276, while the iodine number of 61.75 indicates a percentage unsaturation of 67.1. The initial polymer is essentially saturated, having a negligible iodine number.

Example III Fifty-three parts by weight of an ethylene polymer having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.6 (0.5% solution in xylene) which corresponds to a molecular weight of about 11,550 is placed in a stainless steel bomb or parts by volume internal capacity, and the bomb is pressured with deoxldized nitrogen to 200 ibs./sq. in. The bomb is equipped with a pressure gauge and a bleed-on valve, which latter is connected to a train consisting of a water-cooled condenser with a receiver, a dry ice-acetone trap, and a bubbler.

The bomb is placed in a metal bath and maintained at 420 to 440 C. for 3 /2 hours. The pressure is maintained at 300 to 500 lbs/sq. in. by manipulation of the bleed-oi! valve throughout the duration of the experiment. The reaction is stopped after 3 /2 hours, no pressure increase having occurred for the last hour. The dry ice-acetone trap contains about 8 parts by volume of a low boiling liquid with a pungent odor which is unsaturated to bromine in carbon tetrachloride.

The receiver attached to the water condenser contains 25 parts by weight of a clear liquid with a pungent odor. The bomb itself contains 20 parts by weight of semi-solid residue; this is combined with the contents or the receiver and is distilled through a short column. A considerable quantity o1 low boiling material which is not condensed in the water condenser distills first. This probably consists of 5 and 6 carbon hydrocarbons. The properties of the materials obtained by tractionation of the remaining liquid are shown in the following table wherein the molecular weight It is apparent from the foregoing examples that by conducting the cracking reaction under higher pressures. the average chain length the resulting product and the degree oi unsaturatlon are considerably decreased.

Example IV A mixture of 34 parts by weight of an ethylene polymer having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.74 (0.25% solution in xylene at 85 C.) which corresponds to a molecular weight of about 13,450, and parts by weight of nickel-on-kieselguhr catalyst is placed in a flask equipped for distillation and is evacuated to a pressure 01' 5 mm, or mercury. The'flask is then placed in a metal bath which is maintained at about 400 C. for a half hour; the bath is then removed and the product is distilled by heating the flask with a free flame. Thereis obtained 19 parts by weight of a semisolid grease which has a molecul r weight (ebullioscopic in benzene) of 483 and an iodine number of 55.2, corresponding to a percentage unsaturation of 105. The initia1 polymer is essen tially saturated having a negligible iodine number.

Carrying out of the cracking reaction as described above in the presence or the nickel catalyst eflects a material increase in the relative degree of unsaturation oi the product, without aflecting chain length of the cracking product to a noticeable extent.

Example V 104.5. The initial polymer is essentially, saturated, having a negligible iodine number.

It should be noted that the above product is considerably more unsaturated than the corresponding product prepared by cracking a polymer of ethylene alone.

Example VI Forty-six and five-tenths parts by weight of an ethylene/butadiene polymer having a molecular weight or about 8060 is placedln a flask which is then evacuated to a pressure oi 6 mm. of mercury and heated in a bath which is maintained at 430 to 450 C. The products are allowed to distill as formed, the dark colored fluid distillate has a molecular weight or 274 (ebullioscopic in benzene) and an iodine number of 214.4, corre-- sponding to a percentage unsaturation of 231.3. This experiment illustrates the high degree of unsaturation which may be attained by cracking apolyunsaturated polymer.

alone or 3 Example v'u Thirty-two parts by weight of an ethylene/vinyl chloride polymer containing 32.25% C1 and-having a molecular weight 01' about 24,450 is placed in a distillation flask which is evacuated to 10 mm. 01' mercury. The flask is then placedin a metal bath maintained at 350 C., at which temperature evolution of 1101 takes place rapidly.

The residue sets to a hard mass in the flask. The cracking is completed by heating the distillation flask with a tree flame, while maintaining the decreased pressure. The product which distills over is a halogen-free hydrocarbon grease having a molecular weight of 321 (ebullioscopic in benzene) and an iodine number or 141.3, corresponding to a percentage unsaturation of 178.8.

Example VIII Forty-six parts by weight of an ethylene/vinyl acetate polymer having an ethylenezvinyl acetate mole ratio of 8:1 and an intrinsic viscosity 0.63 (0.25% solution in xylene at 85 C.) which corresponds to a molecular weight or about 11,433, is placed in a flask equipped for distillation and is evacuated to 30-40 mm. The temperature is maintained at 340 to 400 C. fora halt hour in which time a small amount oi acetic acid distills. The cracking is completed by raising the bath temperature to 450 C. and dropping the pressure to 12 mm., allowing the products to distill over as formed. 11 The cracking product, after separation from theacetic acid with which it is admixed, is an oxygen-free hydrocarbon grease having a molecular weight of 455 (ebullioscopic in benzene) and an iodine number of 68.1, corresponding to a percentage unsaturation of 122. The product analyzes C85.7% and H-13.9%.

As previously indicated. in the practice or this invention, there can be used polymers of ethylene with other polymerizable organic compounds containing the group In general, the cracking temperature employed depends upon the nature of the polymer being pyrolyzed. In pyrolyzing simple ethylene polymers the reaction is carried out at temperatures in excess of 400 C., while in the pyr ysis of polymers of ethylene with other polymerizable organic compounds, temperatures as low as 325 C. can be used.v In eneral, temperatures above 100 C. lead to the extensive production of low -molecuiar weight degradation products and for that reason temperatures below 700 C. are generally used in the practice of this invention. Should it be desired. however, to produce low molecular weight material, a combination of high temperature and high pressure may be successly p y 111 general, to obtain a wax-like product it is preferred to operate in the temperature range 350 to 550 C,

The pressure employed during the cracking operation is likewise a function of the nature of the products which it is desired to prepare. As has been shown, the average chain length of the reaction product decreases as the cracking pressure is increased.

The catalysts that can be employed during the cracking Operation include such metal catalysts as nickel, cobalt, platinum and iron. Certain oxide type catalysts are also useful, such as alumina, silica, chromium oxide, and thorium oxide, as are also certain polyvalent metal halides, e. g., zinc chloride, etc.

- It is desirable to employ a carrier which may aid in keeping the reaction mixture well agitated during the cracking process and in removing the reaction products therefrom. This carrier may be an inert gas such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, etc., or it may be an inert material which i in the vapor state at the cracking temperature, such as water, alcohols, and the like.

The present process is advantageously carried out in a continuous manner, as for example by suspending or dissolving the polymer to be cracked in a. suitable inert medium which is stable under cracking conditions, such as low molecular weight aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon solvents, and passing this solution or suspension through a heated cracking zone at a suitable rate.

The present process possesses several advantages with regard to ease and economy of operation and with regard to the nature of the products obtained. By means of the invention described herein it is possible to vary widely the degree of tmsaturation and the average chain length in the resulting products. Almost quantitative amounts of greases, waxes and other valuable unsaturated hydrocarbon products of long chain length are obtained by a clean and smooth cracking process without substantial charring or tar formation. The products obtained by the practice of this invention can be used as such for a wide variety of purposes, such as ingredients in synthetic waxes, polishes, coating compositions, drying oils, etc. Furthermore, by further chemical modification, such as, for example, by condensation with aromatic hydrocarbons, substances can be prepared which are of value in waxes, as petroleum adiuvants, as coating materials, etc.

' This condensation can readily be effected using such catalysts as aluminum chloride, boron iluoride, zinc chloride, etc.; it can, also be effected using sulfuric acid, thus bringing about simultaneous condensation and sulfonation to produce technically useful acidic products.

These mixtures of unsaturated hydrocarbons can be oxidized to mixtures of carboxylic and bydroxycarboxylic acids or to hydroxylated compounds using nitric acid, chromic acid, permanganate, oxides of nitrogen, or molecular oxygen lnthe presence of catalysts. The particular products obtained depend upon the conditions employed in the oxidation. These materials are of value in synthetic waxes, for the preparation of water-repellents, as lubricant adjuvants, as rust inhibitors, etc.

The mixture of unsaturated hydrocarbons produced according to this invention can be reacted with sulfur as described in the copending application of J. H. Werntz Serial No. 392,136, filed May 6, 1941, and the products thus obtained can be oxidized to sulfonic acids according to the methods disclosed in the copending application of J, H. Werntz Serial No. 392,137, filed May 6. 1941, or they can be reduced to a mixture of thiols as described in the copending application as'raoor of W. A. Lazier, F. K. Signaigo, and J. H. Werntz Serial No. 411,336, filed September 18,1941.

The products produced according to the process of this invention can be hydrogenated to products closely resembling paraflln wax in physical properties. These products can also be chlorinated and the chlorinated product further modified in such a way as to introduce amino, cyano, alkoxy, or aryloxy groups.

The unsaturated products can be hydroxylated to a mixture of polyhydroxy derivatives useful per se or as intermediates in further syntheses. For example, the hydroxylated products can be treated with aldehydes, diisocyanates, chlorosulfonlc acid, etc.; these modified products find useful application as plasticizers, softeners, etc.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A process for obtaining from a normally solid and essentially saturated ethylene polymer an unsaturated hydrocarbon product having a percentage unsaturation of at least 25 and having a. physical appearance and texture ranging from waxes to greases and of lower molecular weight than said ethylene polymer, said process comprising heating said normally solid ethylene polymer at a temperature of from 400 C. to 700 C., and continuing said heating until said unsaturated hydrocarbon product is obtained.

2. The unsaturated polymeric hydrocarbon product obtained by the process set forth in claim 1.

3. A process for obtaining from a normally solid and essentially saturated ethylene lnterpolymer an unsaturated hydrocarbon product having a percentage unsaturation of at least 25 and having a. physical appearance and texture ranging from waxes to greases and of lower molecular weight than said ethylene interpolymer, said process comprising heating said normally solid interpolymer at a temperature of from 325C. to 700 C., and continuing said heating until said unsaturated hydrocarbon product is obtained, said normally solid ethylene interpolymer being a polymerized mixture of ethylene and another organic compound containing the group 4. The unsaturated polymeric hydrocarbon product obtained by the process set forth in claim 3.

5. The process set forth in claim 3 in which said interpolymer is that of ethylene and a vinyl ester of a carboxylic acid,

6. The process set forth in claim 3 in which said interpolymer is that of ethylene and isobutylene.

'7. The process set forth in claim 3 in which said interpolymer is that of ethylene and vinyl acetate.

ROBERT M. JOYCE, Ja. 

